


An Exo's Destiny

by makuta_tobi



Category: Destiny (Video Game), Destiny - Fandom
Genre: Destiny, Gen, OC, Random - Freeform, Short Stories
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-18
Updated: 2016-01-30
Packaged: 2018-03-13 13:46:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3383861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makuta_tobi/pseuds/makuta_tobi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The adventures of an Exo throughout the course of his life as a reborn Guardian</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Investigation

Dust was whipped up into a flurry as the purple and gray Sparrow flew over the plains. The rider kept his head lowered as his Ghost's voice echoed in his helmet.

“We're almost there. Turn left and head towards that canyon.”

The Guardian hit the brakes and made a sharp left around a destroyed bus, then released the handles and tipped his feet back to activate the boost thrusters, sending him flying towards his destination. He traveled for another minute or two before stopping his Sparrow and dismounting. With a wave of his hand, his Ghost materialized in midair, turning to the Sparrow, and emitted a beam of light that engulfed the vehicle until it was gone. The Ghost then turned its attention back the Guardian and tipped forward slightly in a sort of nodding motion before disappearing again in a flash of light.

Tobi-17 unlimbered his scout rifle and pulled back the charging handle, loading the first round from the magazine. He took a few steps forward before he heard an engine and whipped around, dropping to his knee and raising the rifle. He lowered it when he saw who it was. The female Titan swung her leg off of her Sparrow and brushed the dust from her emblem – the Scar of Radegast, a mark of a participant in the Iron Banner standing.

“Athena, what are you doing here?” Tobi-17 said, dropping his weapon to his side. “I almost shot you.”

Athena shrugged and placed a hand on her hip. “I could ask you the same question.”

“I'm tracking some Fallen who have been hoarding something. I'm not sure what it is, but I'm on my way to check it out. If you want, I think I saw a beacon about half a klik that way,” he said, gesturing back to where he came from.

“I'm not looking for work right now. I'm just wandering around, and I saw you headed this way. Thought I'd tag along.”

Tobi-17 sighed and shook his head. “Fine, you can come with me. But we're gonna need to continue on foot.”

“Fine by me,” Athena said, following after the Warlock.

They were walking for close to ten minutes when Athena looked back behind them and stopped. “Wait, wait, wait, are we  _leaving_  the Cosmodrome?”

“Well yeah, why else would we be heading this way?”

“I thought you said the Fallen were hoarding things.”

“Look,” Tobi-17 turned around and gestured in the direction they were walking, “my Ghost says that the Fallen are getting smarter. Don't you think they would start hiding their treasure outside of the Cosmodrome? That area is crawling with Hive and Guardians, no way are they going to keep their stuff here.”

“Alright, fine, but how do you even know where you're going? Have you ever been outside the Cosmodrome on Earth?”

“Not exactly, but I was doing some recon with my ship for a little while, and used my Ghost to reconstruct some past events. There was a Ketch in this canyon up ahead.”

“A Ketch? Man, that's big. Really big. Baron big. How do you know they didn't take the treasure and leave?”

“I did my recon, like I said. There's still something on the ground. I think they only have part of what they're looking for, not all of it. If we can retrieve what they already have, then it'll be worth it to stop them.”

“Well, what are we waiting for!”

The two Guardians struck out again, the wind picking up and causing Tobi-17's black cloak to billow around him, while Athena's sash whipped around her thigh. The walk was annoying, as the path was littered with stray metal, and vehicle parts from before the Golden Age that made it difficult to maneuver. When they finally reached the canyon, Tobi-17 gestured for Athena to get down behind some rocks, as he crouched.

“I count 12 Dreggs and 9 Vandals.” Athena said in a low voice, her eyes scanning her HUD for information her Ghost would relay to her.

Tobi-17 raised his Scout Rifle, aiming carefully down the scope at a Vandal. He knew they were more trouble than they were worth, and he squeezed the trigger. The MIDA Multi-Tool let out a single, high-powered shot that impacted against the Vandal's head, shattering the helmet it wore, and the creature collapsed to the ground. The other Vandals and Dreggs screeched as their comrade went down. He moved his sights to another Vandal and pulled the trigger again. This time, it missed the alien's head, hitting it instead in its chest. Staggered and weakened, the alien raised its head, locating the source of the shot and pointed with one of it's arms, shouting something in the Fallen's native tongue.

“They've seen us!” Athena warned, popping out from behind the rock and unleashing a hail of fire from her Auto Rifle. Two Dreggs went down in an instant, and Athena broke from her cover, charging down the hill and firing her weapon. Tobi-17 turned as a Vandal approached from his right, firing a burst of Solar Light from his palm and sending it toppling to the ground. He raised his weapon and unleashed several more shots, taking down another Vandal.

“Captain!” Athena's voice called as he heard the rapid firing of her weapon. He whirled around and saw the large, shielded enemy approaching from inside a hole that has been burrowed into the hill. Pulling his cloak aside, Tobi-17 drew his Fusion Rifle. He leaped up and used his Blink ability, appearing in front of the Captain in an instant, and held his trigger, charging up the Arc attack, before the 8 small shots burst forth from the barrel almost all at once. The attack shredded the Captain's shields and staggered him. He pulled the trigger again, letting loose a second volley of shots. Athena reloaded and pressed her attack again. On his HUD, Tobi-17 could see the Captain's health waning as it charged with swords in hand. The Captain fired his own weapon, and the four projectiles struck him in the torso. His shield took most of the hit, but he still bent forward. He pulled the trigger, charging up once more and bringing his weapon's sights to bare on the Captain, as the shots burst forth, the alien collapsed, the blue light of its soul escaping the body and vanishing.

Athena, panting, gave Tobi-17 a thumb's up and he nodded in response. He put his Fusion Rifle back on his hip, under the cloak, and retrieved his Scout Rifle. Stepping over the Fallen corpses, he finally had time to discover the loot they had been hiding.

“What is all this stuff?” Athena asked, picking up one of the large stones that were piled up nearby.

“Raw ore. It's a rare mineral, and when refined, makes some of the strongest armour made on Earth. If they had enough, they could outfit their entire force.”

“That would explain why there's still Fallen in the Cosmodrome. They're trying to find more, right?” Athena pondered. Staring at the vast amount of ore that had already been collected right under their noses.

“Yeah, definitely. We have to stop that mining operation.”

“I'll contact the Tower, let them know what we found.” Tobi-17's Ghost said into his comms.

“Sounds good. Make sure to let Dead Orbit know, as well. I'm sure they'd be curious to see what the Fallen are up to.”

As the comms cut out, Tobi-17 turned to look at Athena, who was shaking her head.

“What?”

“You and Dead Orbit. Why not remain neutral for the Vanguard?”

“It's not that I'm not thankful or anything. But I like what Dead Orbit has to offer. Besides, there's going to need to be diversity when this is all over. I'm just trying to do my part. All the Exo's are.”

“You're right. Diversity, blah blah blah,” the Awokened woman giggled. “Hey, when we get back, drinks are on me.”

“But I don't drink,” Tobi-17 cocked his head to the side.

“Then I guess I'll just have to drink enough for both of us."

 


	2. A Well Needed Rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobi-17's raid party returns victorious, having destroyed Atheon, and encounter the shock of near silence.

Six flashes of light occurred within moments of each other, and six Guardians appeared on the landing zone of the Tower, and filled the quiet night air with uproarious laughter.

"When you fell asleep at the controls and almost fell into the moon's orbit, I mean, how careless can you be?" Crow laughed, gesturing at Fawkes, who glanced away shyly, knowing full well how embarrassing it was to have a Ghost yell in your audial, while your ship slowly sinks away from the squadron that you are supposed to be leading.

"I'm just glad we managed to get it all done, even without that coward," Hunter said, waving his hand and then stopping to hold it up and examine his new white shader in the pale moonlight. He paused for a few seconds before shaking his head and regaining his train of thought. "I figured without him we'd be a goner."

"Sorry I got there so late," Nanny frowned, rubbing the back of his neck. "If I hadn't been grounded due to ship trouble..."

"It's fine, Nanny," Fawkes said dismissively, glad the subject was off of him.

"And out of the five of us that went in, four of us came out with white armour," Tobi-17 laughed as his optics scanned at the other four members of his successful party. Fawkes, Hunter, Athena, and Crow, had all come out with bright, white armour, courtesy of Atheon's malfunctioning parts. Chatterwhite, the Cryptarch had called it. Tobi-17, however, had found himself lifting off of Venus' surface in a new starship. Though it was bulkier than his previous one, the Glass Minuet was more powerful, faster, and best of all, more pleasing in colour, than the Rope to Heaven, the schematics that he had found on Mars.

The six of them headed towards the vault systems when Tobi-17 heard a light cracking noise, and he stumbled forward. He had been near the back of the group, and so most of them hadn't noticed, but Athena had keen ears, and turned to see what it was. Tobi-17 took another few steps forward, and was suddenly limping on his left leg.

"Hey, are you okay, there?" she asked in a quiet voice. Tobi-17 nodded and took a few more stumbling steps forward before the female Awoken caught him, placing his arm over her shoulder and supporting him as she guided him to the steps on their left. Athena lowered him down and then crouched in front of him.

"What happened? You break your ankle?"

"More like a rotator cuff," Tobi-17 groaned, "I'll be fine. Just gotta replace the piece, is all."

"How did that happen?" Athena, ever curious pondered aloud.

"Probably when we took Crow's advice after killing that thing."

Athena began laughing again. "Yeah, I guess he did have us going pretty good there, huh? Telling us the exit was down below?"

"No," Tobi-17 blinked his optics a few times, "I was well aware that the pit was just a deadly gorge, but I willingly threw myself into it. After everything that had happened, with the Darkness cleared out of that area, it was nice to be able to relax and just have our Ghosts revive us."

"Except they didn't," Athena pointed out, avoiding her sheepiness at having believed her elder Guardian.

"True, but we still got out of there alive."

"So why didn't your Ghost fix you up all the way? Shouldn't it have done that so you wouldn't be walking around with a broken ankle?"

"Rotator cuff, and it's not his fault. The piece wasn't broken, just strained. The structural integrity wouldn't have been something he would looked for. He just sees what's physically broken."

Tobi-17 brushed his cloak to the side and pulled his leg up, unlacing the thigh-high brown boot on his left leg and pulling it off to inspect the damage.

"By the way, congrats on the upgrade," Athena offered.

"Huh?"

"Your cloak. The Heart of Praxic Fire, right? You're not running around in those awful Dead Orbit dreads." She paused and looked him over, her dark eyes settling on his bare head. "Well, except for that helmet, but what can you do?"

"Hey, I like my Exodus Hood. Besides, the Vanguard doesn't offer anything more aesthetically pleasing right now."

"Yes, because robots can pick and choose favourites," Athena chuckled. She looked up and saw that Tobi-17 was casting a dangerous glare at her that only made her laugh harder. "Sorry, sorry," she said, trying to regain her composure while Tobi-17 checked his foot, poking slightly at some parts that were quite obviously bent.

"So now what? We hit that big thing, you want to try and kill Crota? I hear a lot of Guardians have attempted it."

Tobi-17 shook his head and put his foot back down on the step, leaning back on his hands and staring up at the starry sky.

"I just want to relax. We were down in that pit for nearly 7 hours* and I don't want to try anything that stressful again without first making sure I have a full repair kit aboard my ship."

The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes before Tobi-17 jerked up and looked around wildly.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Athena jumped to her feet. Tobi-17 held a digit up to his mouth to silence her.

"You hear that?" he whispered.

"No, that's why I'm asking," she said, her voice not quite as low as his.

"Exactly," he responded, "silence. We haven't heard silence in a while. The chaos of the Vault, everything, the comms, the shooting, the explosions, and even afterwords, the rumble of the ship engines, the transmat, and now, there's just... nothing."

It dawned on Athena just how right Tobi-17 was. From the moment their boots hit the ground on Venus, they hadn't had a moment's rest, or a moment of silence. It was loud, it was hot, it was deadly, and yet now, in the Tower, the central hub for all Guardians, it was quiet, save for the few birds, Tess Everis murmuring to herself, Eris Morn's humming, and the other Guardians they had arrived with kicking around a soccer ball. The four of them slid across the ground, trying to get it away from each other, having no real purpose, no goal, just having fun. After the pain they had suffered, it was nice.

"Go ahead, join them, I'll catch up with you. I think I can get one of these frames to help me," Tobi-17 gestured at one of the VI-controlled robots around him.

"You sure? I don't want to leave you here to be all lonely."

"Can - robots - get - lonely," he answered sarcastically in a halting voice. Athena began laughing again and nodded, patting the Exo on the shoulder as she stood up and charged at the other Guardians in an attempt to get in on their game.

Smiling, Tobi-17 pulled himself up onto the floor at the top of the short flight of stairs, laid down, and offlined his optics, listening to the gentle sounds of the fully grown adults playing with an ancient inflatable sphere, the sounds of a few mildly familiar voices chattering and making music, and the birds. And in that moment, of sweet serenity and kindness, Tobi-17 swore he heard the voice of the Traveler.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *And we did! In total, over 2 days, we spent over 7 hours attempting to defeat the Vault of Glass
> 
> This was partially based on true events from my first completion of the Vault of Glass. The people mentioned are:  
> Athena- Sam's Titan  
> Hunter- Hunter's Hunter (wow great)  
> Fawkes- Josh's Warlock  
> Tobi-17- My Warlock  
> Crow- A Titan, and a friend of Josh's  
> The Coward- My friend Ben's Hunter (who was forced to leave after several attempts on Atheon, I changed his reasoning for story purposes, in reality, it was just very late)  
> Nanny- A Warlock, Josh's friend


	3. Altercation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warlocks can have pretty short tempers, too

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's taken a while to get back into the swing of Destiny, but it mostly has to do with a commission that I requested back in April, just before the House of Wolves came out, and some stuff happened, and in that time, I didn't play for too much, but with update 2.0 and the Taken King now available, I've been playing almost nonstop.  
> Anyways, here's to the rest of the story!

The City was a pretty loud place. Everyone had to pull their weight, but everyone had their own lives to live. Those too young, or too old, were exempt from the rules of work. Every adult was required to work to further the prosperity of the City. Of course, this included raising children, and many Citizens spent time at home with their families, hoping, praying, to give them a better life.

Seven days a week were required for work, 5 hours minimum. Some employers offered more time, for better wages, glimmer that could be used within the City. Vendors shouted out their stock at least once a minute, Frames guided the blind, or swept the streets. Not a single hour was quiet. And it was perhaps for this reason that Tobi-17 decided to make his way down from the Tower he spent most of his time in, to a small pub on the east side of the City.

It was here that he often came in the late hours of the evening, to read his texts and meditate. The tranquility of the Tower was too loud for him. He needed noise, he needed interaction, a drink to stare at, and a reason to get his pump going. So it was on this late evening that he perched himself in the pub, facing a wall and listening to the loud bustle of patrons who were coming off of a long day to unwind and make merry. His optics scanned the surface of his text, tracing his fingers along with each word, intaking each syllable in a trance-like state, but to any onlooker, he was just another man in a mask, his helmet obscuring his face from the world outside.

The sounds that surrounded him brought him peace, the chaos around him feeling so reassuring.

_Is it because I am an Exo? A machine of war?_ he asked himself,  _or is it because I am a Warlock, and crave the answers to the maelstrom inside?_

A man to his left coughed violently, and brought him back to the world of the living, he supposed. His Ghost floated aimlessly near his hand, optic following his fingers as he traced each inked symbol. Truly, noise was what he craved.

"Do you think this pre-Golden Age relic is going to mass-produced again someday?" Tobi-17 asked. His Ghost rotated in place and clenched together some of its plates as if furrowing its brow in thought.

"Maybe," it finally responded, "but I'm not sure how many people would be interested in reading a book about sorcerers. There seems to be some inaccuracies in this series to the arcane forces produced by the Traveler's Light."

"Yes, but that's the beauty, don't you see, little one? The imagination was free to run wild, then, with no threats. The abilities that we wield were but a glimmer in the eyes of this author, there was no limit. Besides, you saw what happened on Mars. Who is to say where the limit begins and where it ends?"

"You do have a bit of a point, but it's not like you need these incantations before you use any of your abilities. Can you imagine if you had to announce your power before using it? The Fallen could prey upon you before you got a flicker of flames at your fingertips."

Tobi-17 chuckled a little at the prospect, the violet of his biolights illuminating the inside of his visor momentarily before subsiding. The clink of glasses grew louder around him, and the patrons grew louder. Checking his internal chronometer, the Warlock noted that it was now about half an hour after work on the walls had finished, and a new shift was starting. Good news for some, not so good for others.

Though true Titans had originally constructed the walls, it was the Citizens who now maintained their integrity, using scrap to mend holes until a more permanent solution arose. This was something overlooked by most Guardians. The City, though well-maintained, was still more of a slum than anything. An aware Guardian would point out the horrible living conditions that 99% of all Citizens lived in, but it was one of the facts of life that was often overlooked by anyone not spending their days in the pits. It was easy for a Guardian to forget how simple it was for someone not born in Light to die. To live in danger, not for it.

_Perhaps_ , thought Tobi-17,  _we can commune through these ancient texts. Stories, not facts, that could transcend time._

The Wall servicemen were loud, and the sound helped to quell the noises in the Warlock's mind. He took a moment to revel in the cacophony of noise before returning to his texts.

It was several minutes later that he heard a commotion, bar stools being knocked over, the sound of a weapon being cocked, and the slurred half-drunken speech of a Human. The source of the sound drew the Guardian's attention up near the entrance of the pub, where he saw three men standing in a semi-circle, and in the center, a green-plated Exo, battered and pockmarked, though not a Guardian himself. One of the men was brandishing a hand cannon, more than likely left in a stash somewhere inside the walls. Deciding it might as well be his business, Tobi-17 placed a marker inside of the book and closed it, the sound of paper hitting paper producing a satisfying  _wump_ and he stood, his robes falling down around his ankles. His Ghost vanished as well, leaving the Warlock on his own.

"What seems to be the issue here, gentlemen?" the Guardian asked, approaching the men who were barring the entrance.

"This thing thinks it should be allowed in here," on of the men gestured with his chin to the Exo, whose optics were wide and pleading.

"And why do you think _he_ shouldn't be?" he asked, sizing up each of the drunks.

"Easy," said the one brandishing the weapon, "he's a machine, and too many of us have heard the horror stories about the Vex. How do we know they haven't taken control of his thing? It's got a mind, it can walk around like any normal person, it could be a spy."

"But I'm not-!" the Exo began, before shying away when the first man lunged forward slightly.

Tobi-17 scanned each of them quickly. The man with the weapon was wearing a patch that signified him as a senior member of the wall service, which helped explain the presence of the gun. In addition, he was very sweaty, and his thick brown hair clung to his forehead in a mess, as hair did when the owner was near a furnace, or other source of extreme heat radiation. The man to the left was short and thin, but his left arm had been replaced with a mechanical prosthetic that could deliver a punch that would break any Human's jaw. His head was covered with a scarf, with tufts of black hair appearing from underneath. The third man, who had yet to speak, was wearing a thick leather jacket that told the Guardian he was tasked with fixing holes in the walls, the jacket protecting him from simple harm and debris. His eyes were large and faded grey, but they were too sharp to be blind.

"You see that Frame over there?" Tobi-17 pointed at a blue and pink Frame that was busy sweeping a nearby street corner, while a cat wove in between its legs. "For all you know, that could also be a Vex spy, and yet," he turned and gestured to the brown Frame that was serving drinks at the bar, "you seem not to mind at all, that these pre-programmed machines could be more dangerous."

"A Frame can't handle a weapon," scoffed the thin man.

"You ever been to the Reef? No, of course you haven't, what am I saying," the Warlock threw his head back in mock laughter, "I've seen a Frame knock a Cabal helmet off a pole from 300 meters away. With an Auto Rifle, one shot. You don't think the one back there could have a million and one ways to kill you simply with what's within arm reach?"

"I don't really care, this doesn't concern you anyways, Guardian, why don't you go kill a few Fallen and make my job that much easier," the weapon wielding man said.

"Actually," Tobi-17 said, waving his hand as his Ghost transmatted his helmet away, revealing the black metal of his face, "I think this is my problem."

As the man began turning the weapon on Tobi-17, the doorway lit up with glowing purple light. In the palm of his hand, the Exo Warlock held a ball of pure Void energy.

"You know what this is?" the Guardian asked, "Nova Bomb. Big explosion, eradicates most living things, some structural damage, fun little toy I like to use when something really pisses me off."

"You wouldn't dare-" the leather coat man was cut off by the Warlock laughing. "At this range, you'd kill yourself, too! And the machine you're trying to protect! Not to mention destroy this bar."

"Only some of it, really. Few months of bounty work and I could pay off the debt. Of course, my Ghost would ensure that would happen, what with the whole, revival thing and all. Which could actually apply to our Exo friend, here, see, Ghosts are always looking for new Guardians to bring back, and it's not so hard to nudge them in the right direction."

"Are you insane?!" the thin man screamed, his emerald green eyes widening in terror, so much so that a Fallen might mistake them for treasure.

"I'm a Warlock," Tobi-17 smirked, "we're all insane."

The men had heard enough, shoving past the Civilian Exo and bolting down the street, the clatter of a gun hitting the pavement echoing to his audials before their footsteps had vanished down even a block.

"Have a good evening," the Warlock said to the Exo, his helmet reappearing on his head, and he whipped around to return to his seat, robes fluttering around him. The green Exo simply stood in shock of what he had seen.

What  _had_ he seen? This would be a story for the farmers.

 


	4. Queries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Never tell a Warlock about a taboo topic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Contains references to characters made in this commissioned work:  
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/4366400  
> (Please not the commissioned work is rated Explicit)

Athena stretched her tired arms and laid on her bed, ready to rest her weary body. She had just returned from a mission on Venus and wanted some time to relax and unwind, her shoulder muscles aching from the punches she had thrown at the Vex. Over 200, she had guessed.

_Punching is love_ , she chuckled to herself, closing her weary, blue eyes.

She had just settled down to rest when she heard a loud ringing noise. She sat up and placed a hand to her chest, feeling her heart race a mile a minute. It took her another moment to figure it was just her imagination, too many Vex exploding, with their weird whiny noise they made. There was no real ringing.

Nope, there it was again, twice this time. The Titan stood up and approached her front door as the ringing came again.

"Athena, open up, I know you're in there, I watched you come in."

The familiar, mechanical voice, the slightly condescending tone.

_Oh no_ , she groaned to herself, opening the door, and almost immediately, Tobi-17 strode in with a wave.

"Did you know we got doorbells now? When the hell did they put those in?" the Warlock sat down on the couch and stretched his legs with a soft whirring sound.

"What are you doing here, 17?" Athena groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Wow, the number, not even the name. What's got you so upset?"

"Well, for starters, I was trying to take a nap."

"Oh, right, sleep, that's a... that's a thing you organics do. Right! Well, I'll try not to keep you too long."

"What do you even want?" Athena plopped into a recliner across from Tobi-17, already coming to terms with the fact that she would not be sleeping for a while.

"I was lonely," was the response. Short, sweet, to the point. An annoying as ever.

"Don't you have, like, a full order or something to hang out with?"

"Yeah, but when your ideas get echoed back to you a hundred times a day, those guys are boring. They never want to take any action outside of the walls, and there's only so many things that they can set on fire to see how it spreads before you get tired."

"They set your robes on fire, didn't they?"

"Not  _my_ robes!" Tobi-17 held his hands up defensively, but maybe some old robes, like, I think Osiris wore them once? I'm not sure. Pretty flame retardant, I have to admit, took three Sunsingers to actually ignite them. They're fine, of course, a little singed, but-"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Athena waved her hand to shush the Warlock.

"Actually, I did have a question," his voice was serious, though quizzical. Never a good sign from a Warlock.

"Go ahead, I have a feeling you'd ask even if I told you no."

"Why do you dislike killing Fallen?"

It was a bit of a loaded question, one Athena was definitely not expecting. It had probably been brewing ever since she one time let slip that a Dreg "wasn't done growling" when the Exo had shot it in the head. He had, at the time, asked her about what she was talking about, but she had shied away from answering.

"Well, I don't think they're really our enemies. Sure, they have attacked our City, but only because they were scared. They want to be accepted by the Traveler. They don't serve the Darkness like the Hive, they flee from it. And we just abandoned them out there."

Tobi-17 folded his hands and nodded, seeming to accept this line of thinking. He had, as well, believed that the Fallen were not truly enemies of the Guardians, but he lived by the prospect that if something shot at him, he would shoot back. Self preservation was important, it didn't matter if you could just come back again, if it targeted you, it could target those you sought to protect, and that warranted its death.

"That," Athena said, in a much quieter voice, "and the fact that my brother has a Fallen boyfriend."

The moment the words left Athena's throat, she regretted them. The Exo had jumped to his feet and leaned in closer to the Titan, mouth agape.

"Your brother, the Awoken Hunter that I see  _so often_ in the Reef, has taken an Eliksni as a lover? I... I have to know more!"

"Please don't," Athena leaned her head back, "he already has enough trouble with the time he slipped him into the Tower."

A noise at the door caused Athena's heart to sink. The door opened and the blue-skinned man walked in, checking around the desk near the entrance.

"Hey Athena, I think I left a commlink for Roksor here, have you seen it?"

"Speak of the devil, and He shall appear!" Tobi-17 announced loudly, before Athena could even begin to comprehend the situation. Slamming the door shut, the Exo spun the Awoken male towards the couch and shoved him onto it, sitting on the table in front of him and leaning so close he may as well be straddling the Hunter's lap.

"Um, what is going on?" the man asked, not at all getting the straight answer he hoped for.

"How does it work? Intercourse with an alien? Is it hard? How does it work with you two?"

"U-uh it just... does? How do you even know about that?" Talin shot a glare at Athena, who was already getting up and walking to her room.

"Do they have nipples? Please, I have to know."

"What?!" Talin shouted, trying to stand but being shoved back down by the powerful servos.

"Do. Eliksni.  _Lactate_."

"Oh for- no, okay, they don't have nipples! They're more... reptilian than mammalian, I guess? Gah, this is so weird, just... what do you want from me?"

"17."

"What?" the Exo turned, only to be face to face with a shotgun. "That, uh... that should be shut off, how is it working in the Tower?"

"Safety systems were shut off to install the new doorbells. Get out of my loft, or I will literally shoot you in the damn face."

"Oh, come on, just one more-"

Athena pulled the trigger, and Tobi-17's body collapsed to the floor. Talin rolled his eyes as a Ghost appeared in a flash of light.

"Look," Athena said, placing her hand on the Ghost and shoving it towards the door with ease, "I know your first priority is to revive your Guardian," she opened the door, "but could you please do so out  _there_? Thank you, goodbye, she used one final shove and pushed the Ghost into the hallway before slamming the door.

"I am literally going to scream," Talin said, collapsing onto the couch.

"Aw, come on!" Tobi-17's voice called from out in the hallway.

"You're staying here for the next few hours until he leaves, I am  _not_ opening the door while he is out there," Athena said sternly. Talin simply nodded in response and Athena stormed back to her room to attempt to sleep for just a bit longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the single most dialogue-heavy thing I've ever written, and I am so sorry, but I had this idea at 2:30 in the morning and couldn't write it until 6 in the morning, so please, blame the fact that I haven't slept in so long  
> And don't forget to leave comments/kudos, it's you, the readers, that keep me writing!


	5. Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobi-17 finds some interesting information, but he and his Fireteam manage to mess up

“Please, don't,” the woman's voice trembled. The creature that hovered over her growled and cocked its head, gesturing with its weapon at her as she clung closer to the wall behind her. If the woman took the time to look, she would see the Dreg was visibly shaken by the noise and experience that was the Last City, but she was too busy fearing for her own life. She opened her mouth to scream but the Dreg gestured at her with its Shock Pistol and she flinched away, her lips shutting once again. The Fallen clicked and waved its free hand in the air, hissing softly and narrowing its eyes.

“Well, isn't this something,” a voice from down the alley said.

The Dreg looked up and saw a Guardian, who was pulling his robe aside and drawing a powerful looking weapon, and it froze. Those beings of Light had killed so many of its brethren, it didn't know what to do. Then it felt its arm recoil, accompanied by a sharp sound and the smell of burning flesh.

“You-!” the Warlock said, raising his weapon and training the sights on the Dreg. It looked from the Guardian, to the Shock Pistol in its hand, then down to the woman who lay dead against the alley wall. It took only a moment for the Dreg to realize what it had to do.

Without skipping a beat, the Dreg turned and bolted out from the alley, across the street to a second back alley, pursued by the Guardian, whose legs were longer, and more powerful than its own. A chain fence blocked the path, but it was no problem. With spider-like agility, it leapt at the fence and scrambled over, jumping down to the other side, it ran a few steps and turned its head just long enough to see the Guardian Blink through the fence and slide, catching its legs with a sliding kick and knocking it to the ground.

Tobi-17 stood up and pointed his pulse rifle at the creature's head, placing a foot on its chest to keep it down.

“Finish up here,” his Ghost said, appearing behind him and staring down at the Fallen with disdain.

“Not just yet,” Tobi-17 lifted his hand and gestured to the Dreg. “Look at it's armour. It's a King.”

The Ghost's optic widened in disbelief. The Exo was right. A member of the House of Kings here, in the City. Somehow, it had gotten past the walls.

“What do you propose we do with it, then? Take it to the Speaker?” Ghost asked.

“Maybe,” the Guardian responded, “but first thing's first, we gotta get it out of here, no telling who will want to-” he was cut off by three rapid blast sounds, and the Dreg's head was blown off, the Ether that gave it life expelling into the air.

“Oh dear, I'm...” Ghost trailed off, the panels of its body separated and were filled with light, a voice echoed from his body.

“There's no need for that,” it said.

“You!” Tobi-17 recognized the voice of the mysterious Stranger anywhere.

“More things will become clear in time, but not now.” With that, Ghost's body returned to normal, and it shook its core, blinked a few times and looked back up at its Guardian.

The Warlock kneeled next to the dead body and rooted around, reaching into a satchel it wore around its waist, he pulled out a small device.

“Looks like a transmission device. We can probably use it to find information on the Kings!” Ghost said.

“Or we could just use it to find the Kings,” came the reply.

* * *

 

It was for this reason that Tobi-17 found himself flying his ship low over the ground of the old Caucaus Mountains, his scanners set to search mode.

“We almost there yet?” Athena's voice crackled over the radio.

“We're closing in on the location that Cryptarchs gave us,” Nova said, “so hopefully.”

“Good, cause I'm starting to feel hungry,” Athena replied.

“I got something on scanners, just up ahead,” Tobi-17 pointed out, flipping a switch and slowing his speed, the two Hildian Seeker ships that trailed him doing the same. “Looks like we're finally gonna meet some Kings.”

Just ahead, a Skiff was slowly crawling through the air. Though brown in colour, like all other Skiffs, it was carefully cleaned, and the symbol of the House of Kings was emblazoned on the side. From where they were, Tobi-17 could see a small crew of three of four Fallen walking on top of the wide, flat surface of the ship.

 _Looks like they're going to have a pretty bad time,_ Tobi-17 thought to himself.

“We're far enough from the City to do this, combat inhibitors off, let's go hunting.”

Tobi-17, Athena, and Nova, all deactivated the systems that kept their weapons offline. Their ships hummed as the physical metal panels that blocked their weapons retracted, and they hit their accelerators. Firing a few shots close to the Skiff, the crew began scrambling back inside just as the engines fired up. It took less than two seconds for it to accelerate to maximum speed, but it was no match for the three nimble ships that followed close behind.

“Split up and follow it into the canyon!” Athena barked as the ship dove down into the deep carvings of the mountains.

The three ships split off from each other and began navigating the maze of stone that cut deep into the rock. Tobi-17's was the first to come out from the winding tunnels and open fire on the Skiff. It rotated its bow turret back and began firing at him. The small black ship was able to easily avoid most of the shots, only taking a few clips to the wing. Athena was the next to emerge, firing a barrage of missiles at the Fallen ship. It took heavy damage to the rear and pulled up unexpectedly, heading out of the mountain range. Nova's Hildian Seeker appeared a few seconds later and opened fire with its cannon. The three ships reformed and fired in unison, blasting pieces of debris off of the ship. The bow cannon fired again, this time striking Nova's ship and sending her spiraling into Athena, who lost control and the two ships went down. Tobi-17 fired a few more bursts at the Fallen ship, striking a fuel tank and causing the starboard aft to explode, sending smoke and debris into his field of vision. The Exo tried to maneuver his ship out of the billowing black cloud only to see the Skiff launch mines from its side ports towards the rear. The explosives hurdled towards him and he was unable to avoid them so quickly, one struck his ship dead on and exploded.

The two ships hurdled to the ground, a secondary explosion rocked the Skiff and caused it to drop like a rock, while Tobi-17 descended like a comet. He felt the familiar sensation of being pulled from his seat and the next instant he was flying across the ground, rolling in the dirt and finally skidded to a stop. He raised his head just in time to see his ship explode before carving a deep gash in the earth.

Standing and brushing the dirt from his robe, the Warlock looked back at the wreckage of the Fallen ship. He considered walking to it, but a quick mental scan noted he had some physical damage that Ghost would need to repair, and no doubt there were Fallen that survived the crash. They would need to return.

“Yo, Warlocks, you feeble babies manage to survive?” Athena's voice asked through Ghost. Lifting up the small machine, Tobi-17 talked back.

“Not gonna let a bruise keep me out of the fight, I'm here. Making my way to you, Athena.”

“Sounds good, 17, how far away are you?”

“Again with the number? Judging by the smoke, looks like I'm about a klick west of you.”

“We'll head your way, you should meet us halfway,”

“That's probably not a good idea,” Tobi-17 noted as his optics widened.

“Why?” Nova groaned.

“Because we'd be backtracking. You two should get over here quickly.”

It didn't take too long for the two women to approach Tobi-17's location, they noticed what he had been referring to. A perfectly preserved house. Wordlessly, the three of them approached it, walking up the three steps to the front door and staring at it in disbelief. All the way out here, a house, in perfect condition. There was only one explanation for this.

“It's a safe house,” Nova said.

“Yes, but whose?” Athena pondered aloud.

“I'm sure we'll figure it out soon enough,” Tobi-17 tried the door and found it was unlocked. The three of them entered and found the interior was just as nice as the exterior. Barely any dust covered the furniture that filled the entrance room. Closing the door behind them, the three fanned out. Nova checked the piano by the front door, while Athena headed down the hall to the right and Tobi-17 investigated the kitchen that was connected to the entrance room.

“Think I know who maintains this place,” Nova said, holding up an ace of spades playing card that was sitting on top of the piano.

“That explains a lot,” Tobi-17 held up a small assortment of knives.

“Looks like this place is pretty commonly used. Got a few beds,” Athena said, coming back from the hallway, “as well as a few other items. Would make a great place to live, even the pantry is fully stocked of emergency supplies.”

“And there's a whole upstairs we haven't even checked,” Tobi-17 set the knives down and walked over the stairway, peering up the dimly lit hall and shrugging before ascending the steps. The other two Guardians followed him. At the top landing, there were three doors, one in front, and one on either side. They split up once again, with Tobi-17 going straight ahead, Athena going right, and Nova going left.

After a minute or so, Tobi-17 and Nova returned to the room that Athena was in. Tobi-17 placed his hands on his hips and cocked his head at Athena, who was spread out on a couch in the main living area of the room.

“It's comfy,” she snapped as he continued to stare at her wordlessly. “What did you guys find?”

“A workstation. Had a computer and some notebooks, plus some crafting tools,” Nova announced.

“I found a gambling room, looked like a table with some cards set up, a few chips, plus a hand cannon.”

Athena closed her eyes and nodded in deep thought, but was interrupted by the other woman.

“Whoa, is that a pre-Golden Age shell?” Nova rushed over to a glass case that sat on a desk against the back wall.

“So you noticed it too, huh?” Athena chuckled. “Yeah, looks like a round from a ship battery. Got a few other old world knick knacks lying around, plus a little something to remember it all by.” The Awoken pointed at the weapon that hung from the wall closest to the door, and Tobi-17 climbed on top of the couch underneath of it to lift it up.

“No Land Beyond?” the Exo asked.

“Perfect fusion of modern and ancient weapon technology. Sucks against Guardians, devastating against the Darkness,” Athena smirked at it.

“I can't believe Cayde has all of this,” Nova said, sitting in the reclining chair across from Tobi-17.

“Speaking of which, I guess we should contact the Tower, hopefully get some some exfil,” the Exo said, bringing up his Ghost.

“Should take them less than an hour to get here,” the small machine said. “I've sent the signal, and we're close enough for them to receive it.”

“Sounds good,” Athena reclined on the couch again.

The Three Guardians all waited patiently, sharing stories from their adventures when they heard the sound of the front door open.

“We did latch it shut, right?” Athena asked.

Tobi-17 got low to the ground and retreated to the gambling room to fetch the hand cannon while Nova held up her hand, a ball of arc energy forming in her palm, and Athena pulled No Land Beyond from its perch on the wall.

Athena took point at the top of the stairs, crouching and bracing the weapon against her shoulder, while Tobi-17 stood behind her, his weapon drawn and at the ready, Nova knelt next to them, ready to throw her grenade at the first sign of trouble. There was the sound of something being knocked over and the familiar growls and squawks of Fallen.

“Seems they followed us. Great, just when I was beginning to think I could retire,” Nova mumbled. The first Dreg peered its head up the stairs and almost immediately slumped to the ground as the powerful sniper shot pierced its head.

“Here they come!” Athena shouted as she ejected the shell from the rifle and loaded the next one. Two more Dregs appeared at the bottom of the stairs and Nova hurled her grenade down at them. The arc energy stuck to the railing just to their left and exploded, sending them flying back into the kitchen. A Vandal appeared at the bottom of the stairs and roared, but a few shots from the hand cannon drove it back and one final shot was placed in its head.

“We gotta push them out, let's go!” Athena, ever the strategist, instructed. She moved forward, followed closely by the two Warlocks and they began forcing the Fallen back. Grenades, energy forces, and fists flew as the Fallen, who were not expecting any resistance, were slowly moved back towards to the door, while bodies fell to the ground. The remaining Dregs and Vandal hurried out the door and Athena took a few more potshots at them as they fled, killing one in the process while the others escaped.

They heard the roar of an engine and a Hawk flew over head, coming to rest just above their position. The underside hatch opened and Cayde-6 walked to the end of the ramp.

“You three must be the luckiest idiots in the history of the City,” he said with a smirk. Nova grinned and flashed a thumbs up and Tobi-17 laughed while Athena just shook her head and walked to the dropship.

“I hope you cleaned up the mess while you were in there,” Cayde said as they filed on to the ship. None of them wanted to tell him about the mass of Fallen bodies that littered the entrance room.

As the ship headed back to the City, Tobi-17 stood up and said “Wait, hover here for just a sec!”

The engines rotated and the Hawk hovered in midair while Tobi-17 peered through the window. The Fallen Skiff was still in place, but the smoke had stopped, and the Kings' insignia had been scratched off the side. There was no evidence that it had ever been the ship he and his team had taken down.

“Probably picked clean by now,” Nova frowned and patted the Exo's shoulder. “Maybe next time.”

“Yeah,” he said, as the dropship continued towards home, “maybe next time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I based the safe house on my friend's actual house. I was house sitting over the summer and began to fantasize about fighting in it. They even have an old musket on the wall.  
> Nova is my girlfriend's Human Warlock; blonde with blue eyes.


End file.
